A highly respected senior Papunya Tula artist, George Hairbrush Tjungurrayi is best known for his use of optical stripes which can be read as representations of waterholes and the ripple marks on the sand caused by the wind. From a Western Art History context, his paintings are often compared to Op-Art and Minimalism. Works by Tjungurrayi are held in significant collections both in Australia and internationally.
Born near Kiwirrkura in a remote part of the Gibson Desert in Western Australia, George Hairbrush Tjungurrayi came in from the desert by way of Mount Doreen and Yuendumu in the early 1970s. In 1976 he started painting with Papunua Tula Artists, at West Camp, Papunya.
Adapting traditional Tingari style, Tjungurrayi began painting the abstract, optical stripes for which he is now internationally recognised. The lines can be read as interpretations of waterholes and the ripple marks on the sand caused by the wind. When approached from the context of Western Art history, the vibrating optical effects Tjunguarrayi creates are reminiscent of Minimalism and Op Art. Yet they also reveal multiple layers of meaning. The concentric lines, reminiscent of rippled desert sand, also depict motifs associated with the journeys of Tingari people across country and the plants found at certain sites that provided travellers with sustenance.
Now in his seventies, Tjungurrayi lives in the community of Kintore in the Northern Territory where he continues to paint energetically, refining his distinctive, elegant style. A highly respected senior Papunya Tula Artist, works by Tjungurrayi are held in significant collections both in Australia and internationally.